Abstract
This study examined the learning experiences of students of English as a Foreign Language in a culture trip that was conducted within the students' own multicultural society (Indonesia). The culture trip was aimed at providing the students with hands-on experience to learn about cross-cultural adjustment, skills to relate to people of other cultures, to be independent, and to act responsibly. Those skills are parts of the skills that people need to perform in the 21 st century environments. The study was guided by a research question: what were the students' learning experiences during the culture trip? The qualitative data for answering the research question were collected from the students' individual written reports of the trip, and the results of open-ended questionnaires given after the trip. The findings showed that for many of the students, the trip was their first independent travel experience which provided not only cross-cultural adjustment learning experience but also learning lessons about many of the skills needed in the 21 st century such as communication, using information technology, being self-directed, independent and responsible, managing goals and time, collaboration and working in a team. The study may be useful for teachers of language who would like to provide cross-cultural experiences and soft skills to the students to function effectively in 21st-century environments. Keywords: authentic learning activities; cross-cultural adjustment; 21st century skills
Highlights
To prepare students and graduates to face the increasingly complex life and work requirements of the 21st century, teachers need to equip them with theoretical learning and knowledge and some soft skills and practice of the application of knowledge in real-life situations
One type of learning activities that can facilitate the implementation of knowledge and the acquiring of soft skills is authentic learning activities which are defined as activities that resemble real-life problems and situations (Diamond, Middleton, & Mather, 2011; Lombardi, 2007)
The specific authentic learning activity under this study was a culture trip that was offered in an EFL class at the English Language Education program of a private university in Central Java, Indonesia
Summary
To prepare students and graduates to face the increasingly complex life and work requirements of the 21st century, teachers need to equip them with theoretical learning and knowledge and some soft skills and practice of the application of knowledge in real-life situations. The specific authentic learning activity under this study was a culture trip that was offered in an EFL class at the English Language Education program of a private university in Central Java, Indonesia. This culture trip was one of the major projects in a course called Language, Culture, and Identity (LCI) offered at semester five. This study may be useful for future planning of similar trips and may give ideas for providing an alternative cultural experience to students who may not be able to afford culture trips abroad
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have